I know alot of folks have written about how they enjoyed the night before in Cincy Ohio (where i was a college student. I was there for 6 years but was born and raised in a NYC suburb) but for ME, the Freedom Hall show in KY will always be my favorite all-round enjoyable show experience. Yeah it was kinda mellow in a way, but thats what I needed. The took its time and didn't rush a thing. It was an evening of country rock and ballad Dead music. The Cincy show has the "better set list" but my head just couldn't get into it. I think I was exhausted from being up the whole night before for school. The set list just overwhelmed me and not in a good way. Also a bit of negative vibes with alot of arrests and undercover personnel. Some fights breaking out. The rain & shitty weather. The day was exhausting on a physical and emotional level, again, not in a good way. As far as the KY show and its vibe, if you ever heard radio stations in KY at that time, alot of country music had that old-timey yet updated sound. Somehow the Dead tapped into it for alot of the show. What was so amazing was the Sugar Magnolia. The show's vibe & energy does pick up after Walking Blues, but at the Sugar Mags its like a diff band with the same ancestral musical DNA, showed up. The boys saved it up for a Sugar Magnolia for the ages: It's the version I measure all others. The drums are like the chimes of freedom and marching into heaven; Bobby sounded like he was blowing trumpets with his syncopated power chords that would blend with Phil and the drums but still be heard; Phil and Bret were cranking out all kinds of thunder, bombs, and even a musical siren, chime or both (Bret's keyboard runs right before the jam are like lightning splitting the sky); and Jerry was swimming in between everybody, at one time being a powerful yet humble 2nd rhythm and at another time being a very very tasty lead guitar, sitting on top of everyone else's sound(s) but not overpowering anybody. I just think it was a tremendous magical version of this song. We started on earth, with a chance at going to "hell in a bucket", and ended up "knocking on heaven's door". The Dead couldn't have played a better soundtrack to my life at that time than what they intuitively played that night. I walked out of there feeling ever so fine. I was marked for life. "Roses" is in a few of the various song lyrics, and there are songs about NYC, my name being "Louis" and hearing "Louie louie" in "Louisville" created a fantastic personal vibe that put me in a great head space, danced the whole night through, Ship of Fools, Prophet and UJB (played ever so sweet and country-like), drums, space, a cyborg-like Other One sounding like a thunder's rumble before the storm moves in, then a sweet and beautiful Stella, and then off to the races again when Sugar Mags kicks in its country-rock vibe kicks in. When the line "blooming like a red rose" is yelled out, the entire crowd just breaths & cheers in amazement as one, and the realization about how the entire night was an intuitive creative affair, unscripted yet purposeful & meaningful. i also agree this is a very very great audience tape. I think it was the one I had within a month after this show. It really captured the vibe, mood and sound quality of Freedom Hall that day. More so than the youtube video of this show. Cheers for all involved in getting this out. All the very best for those who were there to experience it first hand.

Just saw set 1 on youtube and the band is definitely in a zone, controlled but expansive, spot-on cooperation in the jams. The Brent solos that most impressed me were in desolation row and foolish heart. Bobby just missed one verse of DR, verse 3, now the moon is almost hidden and the stars are beginning to hide.... Set 2 awaits.

Review below is hard to follow, great show. Brent definitely kicks it into overdrive midway thru his Walkin' solo. And once more midway thru Louie Louie. Him signaling to Jerry with the midi Sax is epic, and proof he could light the show on fire. What a beast!

Three weeks before the Kentucky Derby. The "Run for the Roses" Grateful Dead in town to play most every song that pertained to Roses, or even might sound like Rose (Desolation Row). Maybe it is just me, but you can actually hear when this show kicks into gear....during Brent's second round of soloing during Walkin' Blues. After that point, it's ON!!!! Something happened, and it doesn't necessarily require chemicals to perceive...According to jboyaquar (or Brother Superior) in a previous review, the Kentucky people are "tools", apparantly called that because someone cheers after Jerry mentions NYC in Ramble on Rose...I don't know, maybe somebody there was FROM NYC? Brother Superior also couldn't understand why they would play Louie, Louie....perhaps because they were in LOUIE-VILLE? It was immediately apparent to all of us dumb Kentuckians. I wonder if Ky natives such as Hunter S. Thompson or, who is that guy, um, Owsley, would appreciate his ignorant generalization...Anyway, back to the show. Just a fantastic batch of red hearts & flowers in this basket! From the pre-show parking lot festivities to the walk out, this one was special.

who singing louie louie

Unusual Spring Tour in '89, as there were no northeast venues. I saw the Greensboro's on 3/30 & 3/1, which were fun.
This is a nice show with generally good, albeit unspectacular, tunes that are well-played. Very good sound quality. Definitely worth a listen!

One of the best quality sounding recordings on the Archive here. A must to download."Big River" and "Ramble On Rose" demonstrate how well this was made!!! Great work Thanks!!!

awesome tape dude I was there sounded "just like that" sweet thanks much

Easily the most 3-D and widest S-T-E-R-E-O effect Audience recording that I have heard on the Archive. Worth the download! Danny Thompson had his sh!t together...please check out his other FOB/MOTB offering of 7-2-89 Foxboro / Sullivan Stadium recording. This is superior quality!